1 of 3 | Cast members Dwayne Johnson (L) and Kevin Hart attend the premiere of the motion picture comedy "Central Intelligence" in Los Angeles on June 10, 2016. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI |
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NEW YORK, June 14 (UPI) -- Comic actor Kevin Hart says being the "funny guy" in high school helped him stay out of fights and make friends with students across all social strata.
Hart will soon be seen in the action-comedy Central Intelligence opposite Dwayne Johnson. Directed and co-written by Rawson Marshall Thurber, the movie follows Hart's Calvin, a former big man on campus, who 20 years later is dissatisfied with his quiet life as an accountant. His world is turned upside-down when he finds himself in the midst of an unexpected adventure as Johnson's Bob -- a one-time, bullied, teenage misfit who went on to become a CIA agent -- shows up in time for their high-school reunion.
Asked by UPI at a recent New York press conference what he was like as a teen, Hart replied: "My high-school years were great years. I was a popular kid; you guys can tell. I was a really cool guy...."
"Not the best student, but I was a people person," explained the 36-year-old, Philadelphia native. "I was the person that got along with any and everybody. I think that's what made high school special for me. There was no segregation from the athletes to the non-athletes to the people who were all about education... I was around them all, so to get embraced by everybody was just a good feeling and it kept me out of trouble. I didn't get in fights. The funny guy doesn't fight. The funny guy stops the fights and makes people laugh about wanting to fight and being stupid about wanting to fight and then everybody walks away saying, 'Kevin's right.'"
Pressed to reveal if he has ever attended a high-school reunion, Hart joked: "Dwayne probably hasn't because he is what you call a, what's it called? An [expletive.]"
"Kevin hasn't because he's what you call? Dropped out of high school," Johnson teased back.
"I've never been to a reunion," Hart continued. "I know they've had some at my school. I've kept in contact with some people from my high school."
Central Intelligence opens Friday.
